Merry Christmas!

 Merry Christmas, friends! Wishing you all the best! Don't hold back on the hugging and eating :)

 

How awesome are these vintage ornaments!?! I really scored on these, coming in at $1 a box from our local Habitat ReStore. You really never know what you might find there! (At ours right now - 3 old toilets that we replaced from our house and donated. I'm so happy to see those gone and not taking up space in our garage)

I'm just swooning over the packaging design!

Obligitory photo of one of the kitty babes checking out mom's latest find.

 

 Again, have a very merry Christmas! Much love!

Vintage Winter Styled Bridal Photo Shoot

Hello friends! I've got something special for you today. Over the weekend I did a winter vintage styled photo shoot! I had been pinning some inspiration to a board on Pinterest for awhile and I finally got to make it a reality. Thankfully the weather turned out great. We had just gotten about 5 inches of snow the day before. I love how the snow is just one big reflector! 

Without further ado!

Guest Post - Suitcase Stories: Great Grandma's Hat Box

At Christmas I received a suitcase that belonged to my great grandma, my sister also received a something special that belonged to Great Grandma!

From my sis -
"Like Michelle, I also received one of Great Grandma's suitcases for my Birthday (which happens to be close enough to Christmas so I got it then). Auntie K loaded up this lovely hat box with some fun sewing supplies including a new iron, fabric, thread, and new scissors! She always spoils me!"

 Love the stripes!

Inspiration at an Antique Mall

Hi friends! Lately I've been stuck in a funk - feeling a lack of motivation, direction and inspiration. Also a general case of the blahs. Anyone else?

Today I had to just get out and do something a little different than my normal routine. On second thought, I don't really I have a "normal" routine! I went to an antique mall I hadn't been to before and found a lot of inspiration!

I took a bunch of photos on my phone of things that stuck out at me for whatever reason. They're not the highest quality. I hope you don't mind!

I was drawn to a lot of yellow things:

{I almost want to go back and get this chair!}

{how cute are these spice jars!}

I love vintage linens!

{Love how the striped fabric was turned chevron on this apron}

{kitty fabric!}

{scrap quilt}

{Love the nautical vibe of this apron}

{tablecloths}

My husband loves Superman things! I thought he'd like this:

Of course I saw some suitcases!

{cute train cases}

{little suitcase}

And a bunch of other miscellaneous things!

 {what a sweet stove!}

{so many rolling pins}

{Christmas tree stand!}

{I'm on the look out for a dress form that I love}

 {rope}

{chalkboard on stand}

{Great Lakes map decoupaged onto a small table}

What do you do when you're stuck in a funk and not feeling very motivated or inspired?

Suitcase Stories - Yellow Suitcases and Happy Travels

You guessed it! I like suitcases.Vintage suitcases. I love them. I don't really know why. They're good for storing craft things. They come in beautiful colors. They don't make 'em like they used too. Maybe it's the hunt for them and the joy when I find them. Maybe it's the thrill of a good deal. Maybe it's because there's a story behind them and the people that owned them. I can only image the places in the world that they've been or not been.

This is going to be a series of posts about my suitcases and how they've come into my possession. I have more than only yellow ones you know.

I'm starting out with my first suitcase love (yeah they make me a little giddy) and probably the start of my suitcase addiction and the name Yellow Suitcase Studio. I know you've been wondering about that.

I spotted them at the thrift store up on a high shelf. I was drawn to them. Those two soft buttery yellow vintage suitcases in the lineup of brown, navy and blah suitcases. They were calling my name to be taken off of that shelf; hitting a soft spot in my heart that I could not ignore. I went with that feeling in my heart and took them down. It got even better when I opened them to see the insides were basically untouched. I paid for them and while walking out the cashier said, "Happy travels!" That's my favorite part. It makes me smile just thinking about it.

{the yellow beauties}

There have been many happy travels with those yellow suitcases. Not to exotic places or crazy cross country road trips; but to happy memories.

One of those happy memories is a photo shoot with my lovely sister.

{me and my suitcases - photos by my sis}

{sister love}

Another happy day bursting with love and memories was my wedding day!

{photos by shannon wucherer photography - they're awesome!}

Did you know suitcases are absolutely awesome if you're selling stuff at a craft fair? Well they are. You have an easy way to carry all your stuff and you can use them to display your lovely handmade items.

{suitcases at a craft fair}

This past summer I found a yellow train case to match! It was a happy day spent with my sister at a flea market. Of course we walked out with a big trunk and a suitcase filled with all of our finds. I splurged on this baby. I'm a thrifty girl. I was a little sad the lady wouldn't take less than $15. She even knew I had left and come back for it a little later. I think it's my most expensive and smallest one. Maybe all my other rockin' deals make up for for this splurge? Oh well, it has found the perfect home.

{happy yellow train case}

Here's to "happy travels"!